His second surprise of the evening: the size of her closet. It’s huge!

She has four racks of clothes on the left wall. On the right are shelves for shoes, boots, and handbags, and a full-length mirror. There’s also a coat closet with louvered slats, and a dressing area in the center of the room.

He figures she’ll exit the shower, towel herself dry, enter the closet completely nude. If he hides in her coat closet, he’ll get the full monty.

He opens it, pushes some coats out of the way, steps inside, closes the louvered door, and waits.

Thirty seconds pass before she turns off the shower. Twenty more pass quietly while she does whatever she’s doing in the bathroom. Then…she enters the dressing area wrapped in an enormous towel that completely covers her body.

Who the hell makes towels that big? Milo wants to know, while silently cursing his bad luck. Still, there’s something intoxicating about being a voyeur.

Faith has a hand towel in one hand, cell phone in the other. She glances at herself in the mirror, then presses a button on her phone, and stands it on its side on the shoe shelf.

Surprise number three: she’s put the phone on speaker.

“Hello?” Jake says.

“Where are you?”

“Harry’s Nickel. Where are you?”

“Home. Just got out of the shower.”

She uses the hand towel to dry her hair.

Jake says, “You going someplace?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“Remind me.”

“Lemon’s birthday party? The big event?”

“Oh. Right. I thought you said I could skip it.”

“The whole gang’s going.”

“Guys too? I distinctly remember hearing you say—”

“I did say that. Before I learned the husbands were invited.”

They’re quiet a minute. Faith says, “It’s okay. I’ll make up an excuse.”

Jake says, “I’ll swing by later on. It’s at Veluzzi’s, right?”

“Right. She’ll like that. They all will.”

“And you?”

“Of course. But Jake?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s a surprise party.”

“So?”

“Lemon will be there at seven. If you can’t be early, come after seven-fifteen.”

“I won’t get there before eight.”

“Of course you won’t. Want me to order for you?”

“Nah. I’ll get something here.”

“At Harry’s?”

“It’s happy hour. I’ll grab a snack, go home, take a shower. Probably show up at Veluzzi’s around eight-thirty. I’ll drink while you guys finish your dinner.”

“Sounds like you already started drinking.”

“You know me.